Comedians Who Use Stage Names

These comedians knew that it's tough to make a name in comedy and that literally making themselves a stage name was the best way to get a leg up in a sea of all the other folks trying to break into show business.

A number of the stand-up comedians and comedic actors on this list simplified their last names to make what they were called catchier or easier to remember. Judy Holliday was born Judith Tuvim and as tovim means "good" in Hebrew and yomtoyvim means holidays, or literally "good days" in Yiddish, her stage name is simply a loose translation of what she was born with. Others changed their names for stranger reasons. Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanly Jefferson but felt that the 13 letter length of "Stan Jefferson," his original stage name, was unlucky which is why we don't know his comedic team as "Jefferson and Hardy."

This list of famous stage names includes comedians who go by nicknames and famous people who have changed their names. It does not, however, include comedians who use their married surnames professionally, had their names legally changed as children, or celebrities with obviously theatrical stage names. It's pretty clear that "the Cable Guy" isn't Larry's last name.

Some of the names you know for these comedians aren't even the names they were born with or their legal names. Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Rodney Cohen and legally changed his name to Jack Roy when he was 19, not taking on his well-known stage name until some years later. Which of these comedians have the most surprising birth names?

William Claude Dukenfield, better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, who remained a ...more

Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known by his stage name Jason Alexander, is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, and director. Alexander is best known for his role as George ...more